nearly

adverb

near·​ly ˈnir-lē 

1

: in a close manner or relationship

nearly related

2

a

: almost but not quite

nearly identical

nearly a year later

b

: to the least extent

not nearly as good as we expected

Synonyms

• closely
• near

Examples of nearly in a Sentence

I see her nearly every day.

We lived there for nearly two years.

Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement The economy expanded at nearly a 3% annual pace in the July-September quarter and some economists forecast another solid gain in the final three months of this year. —Christopher Rugaber and Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024

Scientists have uncovered the existence of a binary star system close to the black hole near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, confirming a hypothesis made by happenstance nearly a century ago, according to a paper published in Nature Communications on Wednesday. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2024

Indeed, Democrats could have learned that lesson nearly two decades ago. —The Editors, National Review, 17 Dec. 2024

Related Stories Kohn spent nearly two decades at IndieWire. —Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nearly

• nearly gave someone a heart attack
• not nearly
• pretty near/nearly

Kids Definition

nearly

adverb

near·​ly ˈni(ə)r-lē 

1

: in a close manner or relationship

nearly related

2

: almost but not quite

nearly the same

nearly missed the train

3

: to the least extent

not nearly enough